Following the Federal Government’s announcement this morning that Saskatchewan residents would see a direct rebate of the money raised by their tax on pollution, Ryan Meili slammed Scott Moe’s Sask. Party government for surrendering the initiative to the federal government and leaving Saskatchewan without a plan designed by and for Saskatchewan people.

“Scott Moe has once again come up empty in providing Saskatchewan with sound economic and environmental leadership,” Meili said. “He’s spent the last year pointing fingers and railing against a flawed federal approach, but he’s shown no initiative and no leadership in putting forward a plan that works for Saskatchewan people.

In recognition of Saskatchewan Library Week, the Saskatchewan NDP joins the public in celebrating all that libraries do for Saskatchewan people. This year’s Saskatchewan Library Week theme is “Libraries Transform,” which focuses on how libraries can serve communities in many different ways and focus on local needs.

“As our communities change and grow, so do our libraries. Libraries often fill the gaps and offer valuable services to all community members,” said NDP Education Critic Carla Beck. “This is why we need a government that respects the role and voice of our libraries, so they can continue to serve communities across the province. Library staff and boards know what is needed to accomplish future library growth—they, and the communities they serve, must be a fully involved in any future planning.”

“We’ve now climbed to three times the national average. That speaks to a lot of stress and heartache for families who are struggling to pay their bills,” said NDP Housing Critic Nicole Rancourt. “Instead of providing opportunities for economic growth and an increase in wages, the Sask. Party has cut funding to job creation programs and refused to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. They are holding Saskatchewan residents back.”

As the Saskatchewan Construction Association warned would happen over a year ago, the addition of PST to construction contracts is drastically impacting Saskatchewan’s construction industry. Today, Statistics Canada released the latest value of building permits report from August and it shows the average building permit in Saskatchewan has dropped by 32.9 per cent since August 2017.

“Removing the PST exemption has hit Saskatchewan’s construction industry hard,” said NDP Housing Critic Nicole Rancourt. “We’re already losing people to other provinces due to a lack of job opportunities and lower wages, and that policy choice only made the situation worse.”

The Saskatchewan NDP is seeking government response on an endorsement of a federal party candidate by the president of SaskWater, which in turn was publicly amplified by Cabinet Minister and MLA for Meadow Lake Jeremy Harrison.

“This issue is about the people of Saskatchewan being able to trust that the Sask. Party are managing our Crown Corporations in a responsible and ethical manner,” said NDP Critic for Ethics and Democracy David Forbes. “There are some concerns here, so we expect the Minister to take the appropriate actions and restore that trust.”